The inventors discovered this procedure when storing large bags of spaghetti sauce. With only two in the household, it was very hard to make a spaghetti sauce small enough. Because of this, and because it is as easy to make a large batch of sauce as it is to make a small batch, the inventors began making very large batches (large enough to fill 15 to 19 one gallon food storage bags with each bag holding enough for one pound of spaghetti). In the past, the inventors both had to help when filling the food storage bags—one would hold the bag open and the other would ladle the sauce into the bag. It was time consuming and took two people. It was worth the aggravation, however, as it was so convenient to just pull a bag of sauce out of the freezer when one did not feel like cooking and/or felt like spaghetti and the storage took so little room in the freezer. It is only necessary to soak the food storage bag with the frozen spaghetti sauce (or other food item with a liquid base) for a few minutes in hot water prior to heating it in a pan or the microwave for consumption. Trying to find an easier way to fill the bags, when one of the inventors was alone and the sauce was made and ready to bag, this inventor found that by emptying a Saltines' cracker box and pulling the edges of the zip lock bag over all four sides of the box by approximately one inch or more, the bag stayed secure and the inventor was able to fill it alone, and also remove the bag easily, seal it and store it.
Having now used the Saltines' box method many times for sauce and many other types of leftovers (with or without liquid) for the refrigerator or freezer (ie. beef stew, filling for chicken pot pie, sauces and gravies, leftover salads—potato, macaroni, fruit) and finding it very simple for one person to fill and store the bags in either the refrigerator or freezer, the inventors decided this idea should be patented.
Research has been done on patents already in existence that have tried to solve the problem of easily filling and storing food in food storage bags. There are quite a few patents, but it appears that all patents on record are separate devices made of different sized and shaped rods of either steel, plastic, nylon or a similar material. These rods are slippery, the shape is not square and it is necessary to pin the bags to the stand in order to hold them stationery when filling. The devices seem more complicated than necessary. These devices defeat the purpose of simplicity and one person cannot fill the bag, remove it and store it without a helping hand. One person could adjust the rods, attach the clips and fill the bag, but when any type of liquid is involved, another person would have to help when the clips were removed in order not to spill the contents. Also, solutions using these separate rod devices would be more expensive for the manufacturer of the bags or any other interested entity to provide than a simple square (or close to square) cardboard (or other non-slippery material) box as is the subject of this patent.
With this invention, food storage bags would be more competitive with plastic storage containers as they would take less space in the refrigerator or freezer when filled and much less room in the drawer or cabinet where they are stored prior to use. Also, one would not have to worry about staining as with plastic containers with covers because the bag would usually be thrown away after its use and not normally washed and stored in the cabinet. Food storage bags are also much less expensive and are usually disposed of after use.